


Tracing the Scarring Face

by hungrytiger11 (hungrytiger)



Series: A Rose Bloomed [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: A Rose Bloomed, Childhood, F/M, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-02-25
Updated: 2009-02-25
Packaged: 2017-10-07 11:55:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/64924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hungrytiger/pseuds/hungrytiger11
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When taikng the kids out to see the deer, Shikaku and Yoshino are reminded there are some scars you can't see. An Ino-centric, Shikamaru-centric kid fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tracing the Scarring Face

Beneath her hand, the deer's fur was smooth, and the muscle warm and moving. Its breathes were shallow, its eyes alert. With very deliberate movements, she raised and lowered her hand to pet the animal. It stood very still, but could be across the field in the time it would take for her to raise her hand again. What would it be to run that fast? Why didn't the deer run? Who knew, but the knowledge that it stayed where it was for her was like getting a secret, or a gift. It was something special, something you couldn't speak of.

 

"Like the deer, Ino-chan?" Shikaku-san called out to her. Turning her head, so he was in her view, she nodded. Beside the dark-haired man was his son, Shikamaru. He looked just like his father, except he wore a scowl. Of course, that was his normal expression, so it was hard to tell if he was actually mad about something, or just thinking. Tearing away from the animal, she ran up to the Nara men, arms reaching. Without missing a beat, Shikaku-san reached down to scoop her up, and, with a long-suffering sigh, Shikamaru took off after the deer she'd just scared away.

 

"You shouldn't do that, Ino-chan. We have work to do with the deer," Shikaku-san admonished her. Ignoring his words completely, Ino reached out to touch his face, tracing the bandage that covered most of it, just as she'd seen Yoshino-san do many times. It fascinated her to watch Yoshino's fingers skim across her husband's face, to hear her worry about his scarring wounds. Her face grew so soft, and Shikaku-san's eyes always fluttered closed when she traced her hands across his face. What was that between them, and why was it there? But Shikaku-san jerked his face back, and Ino realized she must have been much rougher than Yoshino-san ever was. "Careful, Ino-chan. These are still healing," he reminded her.

 

Ino nodded, momentarily shamefaced. The Nara family head hadn't spoken of how he'd gotten the wounds on his face to anyone, except presumably to Yoshino-san and maybe the Hokage. He had left on a mission with her father, but had returned alone and bearing scars. Shikaku-san said that her father was okay, and was just staying for a longer spying mission, but Ino worried. Why would one father come home and another stay away? Why were there wounds across the returning one's face? Ino sighed, and then shook herself, remembering what she was going to tell the man holding her tight.

 

"Guess what," she chirped, grabbing his shoulders to pull herself up to his ear. His arms groped to keep a hold of her shifting weight. When she was right next to his ear, she whispered, "Shika-kun and I, we're married! I didn't even know, but we are!"

 

Loud, dry laughter erupted after a minute, and then she was too jostled to reply, as Shikaku-san began to move to where Shikamaru had corralled the stray deer. Burying her head against his shoulder, Ino frowned. It was true! So why was he laughing? She had learned of this fact from Yoshino-san just that morning, while they were making breakfast together. Ino had never known much about cooking before coming to live with the Nara's three months ago, but Yoshino knew just everything about cooking, as far as Ino could see. While they were chopping some vegetables, Yoshino had praised her progress in cooking, and said she was going to make someone a great daughter-in-law.

"What's that?" Ino had asked.

"Its what you'll be to your husband's family once you get married, silly goose," Yoshino-san had explained.

"But what's married, Yoshino-san?"

"Well, Ino-chan, married is what Shikaku and I are. Its…" she had paused then, to search for words, "Well, it's living together with your best friend, the person you love."

 

Ino had scrunched her nose at that. "Shika and I already do that. We even share a bed. He said he's not gonna sleep on the floor 'cause of any girl. But I'm not gonna sleep on the floor either, so we comp'mised, and share it."

 

Like Shikaku-san was doing right now, Yoshino-san had laughed hard at her then. "That's not quite the same thing, Ino-chan," she'd told her.

 

"But it is," she murmured into Shikaku-san's sleeve. "Shikamaru is my best, only friend I have," she said, as if that explained it all, and really, to Ino, it did.

 

Placing her back down to the ground, Shikaku-san squeezed her shoulders and gestured to the bushes behind the deer and his son. "Take a look at that Ino-chan, roses."

 

Shikamaru had already turned to look at where his father was pointing, and Ino ran up to stand beside him and get a better look. They were flowers, of that Ino was sure. But looking at them, they seemed twisted, and smaller and plainer than any rose that ever came into her father's store. As if sensing her doubt, Shikamaru turned to her and explained, "These are wild roses, not like the ones your dad got. These are different."

 

Shikaku-san came up to sit along side them, and both children sank to the ground as he did so.

 

"These mean friendship. Pretty nice thing for our deer to eat, huh?" Shikaku-san asked. Shikamaru didn't even bother replying, but merely grunted. Ino nodded and stared intently at the flowers. They were small, and curving branches of thorns were entangled with every bloom. One would have to really want those flowers to go through all the trouble it would be to pick them.

 

She glanced back at Shikamaru, who was now laid out on the grass, staring at the clouds. Very gingerly, she scooted up along side him and lay down too, with her head on his shoulder. She had seen Yoshino-san do this with Shikaku-san, on nights when he convinced her to slow down, and sit back and relax. She'd never seen anyone do anything like that before, not even her daddy with all of his different girlfriends who he said might become new mommies, but who never did. She'd wondered what it felt like. She'd wondered if she would ever know, and now here she was. Shikamaru sighed, and grumbled a "troublesome," but he also readjusted his arm so they would both be more comfortable. Ino knew from that, she could stay.

 

He was like the deer, she decided. Beneath her touch was warm and moving muscle. With each breath, her own head rose and fell. This was her favorite part about living at the Nara's- Shikamaru. More than Shikaku-san, who let her touch his bandaged face, and more than even Yoshino-san, who let her cut up food for every meal, Shikamaru let her do what she wanted. He might say it was troublesome or pain. He might grumble or even sigh, but he let her do what she wanted. No. That wasn't quite right. He didn't just let her do what she wanted. If she wanted him to play, he would. If she needed a hug, he gave her one. He let her share his bed, so she didn't have to sleep on the floor, and if she cried because she missed her Daddy who still hadn't come home from his mission, he was there too. He was her best, closest friend, and that, really, did explain it all.

 

Settling back, she watched the clouds and felt for the rise and fall of her best friend's breath, staying very still, as Shikaku-san worked on the deer behind them. She did not want to startle anything into running again.


End file.
